Easthampton signs contract for construction of fish ladder over dam on Manhan River

Republican file photoOfficials from the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service take measurements at a dam on the Manhan River in Easthampton in 1998 as they research the feasibility of a fish ladder at the site.

EASTHAMPTON – Despite a pending lawsuit, the city is moving forward to install a fish ladder over a dam in the Manhan River.

Mayor Michael A. Tautznik signed the contract which had to be executed by Wednesday otherwise the city would have lost out on the $750,000 federal grant to pay for the ladder.

The bid was awarded to CRC Co., of Quincy, which specializes in concrete and marine construction, for a $600,000. Work is expected to begin soon and be completed by November.

“It’s an important project. It’s the only thing these funds could be used for,” Tautznik said. The grant is coming from federal stimulus funds.

The mayor said the city has looked at installing the ladder in the past, but, “We didn’t have the resources.”

Richard R. Boyle, who owns property next to where the fish passage will be built, filed a lawsuit in May in Hampshire Superior Court which appealed two special permits issued by the Zoning Board. The suit was the latest in an ongoing battle between Boyle, who purchased the 29 Northampton St. site of the old water works building and the city.

The suit states that the fish ladder project, as proposed, “encroaches on the property” of Boyle. When the water works was sold to Boyle in 2007, an easement was included in the deed for construction of the fish passage. Boyle has contended that the easement does not allow use as a construction staging area.

The purpose of the project, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, a partner in the fish ladder effort, “is to enhance the ecological diversity of the Manhan River by restoring access to spawning and rearing habitat for migratory fishes,” according to documents. The fish ladder will provide access to approximately 11 miles of spawning and nursery habitat for fish including shad, blueback herring, sea lamprey, and Atlantic salmon, as well as a rearing habitat for the American eel.